Band: Malevolent Creation
Title: Invidious Dominion
Label: Massacre Records
Distribution: Rough Trade Benelux
Release date: 27/08/2010
Review: CD

Major American formation Malevolent Creation, the ultimate American Death Metal formation, formed more than twenty years ago, ten studio full lengths on their rooster, influential in the early years and still one of the most impressing bands all over Mater Terra. Now on Massacre Records, and with the return of former growler Brett Hoffmann, indeed.

Produced, mixed and engineered by Erik Rutan at Florida-based Mana Recording Studio (Vital Remains, Paths Of Possession, Cannibal Corpse, In Battle, The Absence etc). Duration: thirty six minutes, eleven trackzzz. With the motto ‘if you’re too slow, you’ve got to go’, mastermind Phil Fasciana and his bunch do what they’re best at: thrashing humanity down with magisterial tunes of ultra-Metal. The tracks are brutal, going for both lyrics and music, and the performance, well, let’s say that 1) their over-two-century-experience has come to a peak, and 2) the members’ not-that-young-anymore-age does certainly not influence their craftsmanship. Twice positive, and that’s the absolute truth. This kind of up-tempo to blasting no-nonsense Death Metal, with, of course, an evident American approach, defines the basics; this is the core of how uncompromising, straight-forward and thrashing Death Metal must sound.
But… even though Malevolent Creation did grow, and still grow, (almost) all the time, Invidious Dominion is another Malevolent Creation-album. Not bad at all, evidentially, but I wonder: does it still thrill that much?

Therefore: Invidious Dominion is one of the best, and maybe, very maybe, the strongest Malevolent Creation-recording to date (?), yet again it does not blow me away anymore (maybe I have to put it even louder?).

84/100

Ivan Tibos.